Red-zone disasters haunting Chargers

Mistakes plaguing offense all season

Last Sunday, at the end of a fluid drive of more than 70 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter, the Chargers failed in a way becoming all too common in this season typified by almost, nearly and not quite.

With third-and-7 at the Colts 9, tight end Brandon Manumaleuna and receivers Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers were lined up on the left; tight end Antonio Gates on the right.

“We had something,” quarterback Philip Rivers recalled with a smile.

He believed Manumaleuna would be the forgotten man in coverage.

“This is going to be good,” Gates said, recalling his thoughts as he eyed the defense.

There would be no play.

Flag. False start, Jeromey Clary.

The Chargers then faced third-and-12 from the 14. Robert Mathis'brilliant deception got him past Clary in a hurry, and he chased down Rivers and stripped the ball. Raheem Brock picked it up and returned it to the 34. Colts ball.

Another red-zone failure, not just because of one thing but also because of another.

“I don't think we can point to one particular thing,” Rivers said when assessing the Chargers' woes in the red zone.

Maybe the play-calling is unimaginative. Remember the fumblerooski or the halfback option? But the Chargers also hurt themselves with missed blocks, dropped passes and penalties in the worst part of the field, so close to the end zone yet so tight that missteps are magnified.

Today's opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, have a middling red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns on more than 52 percent of opponents' drives inside the 20.

Regardless of who they're playing, the Chargers need to fix their failings.

They've run 108 red-zone plays, seventh-most in the NFL. But just 38 percent of those plays have gained more than 3 yards, fifth-worst in the league.

This team, which has lost four games within the final 24 seconds by a combined seven points, is converting less than half of its trips inside opponents' 20-yard line into touchdowns.

Forget everything else that can be pointed to as a reason for their 4-7 record. The red zone has been like the great Sahara for the Chargers, and getting lost in it is why they are in danger of not making the playoffs.

Turn one chip-shot field goal in each of those four games into a touchdown and they'd be running away with the AFC West.

Dante Rosario's game-winning TD catch in the opener is moot if the Chargers hadn't had to settle for a third-quarter field goal after having a first down at the Carolina 17.

Ed Hochuli's blunder the next week would not have mattered if Rivers had not missed on successive passes from the 9 in the first quarter or had the Chargers been able to find a way in with first-and-goal at the 5.

Jeff Reed's field goal with 11 seconds left at Pittsburgh wouldn't have been enough had Rivers not thrown a second-quarter duck from the Steelers' 17 or had the Chargers not had to settle for a field goal after having first-and-goal on the drive preceding Reed's kick.